I don’t know about you, but for me, the challenge with the internet isn’t that there isn’t good content — it’s that there’s so much good content.

People like Dave Kerpen, Jay Baer, Erik Qualman, Michael Stelzner and others are constantly sharing helpful tips and techniques that can help you grow your business. Because there’s so much good content out there, I spend part of my day just sorting through what I want (and need) to read.

With that in mind, I’ve selected 11 best marketing blog posts to help you kick things off for the new year. Each post has an insight or a tip that can help you make 2013 your best year ever, so take a spin through them. And feel free to leave a comment below with your favorite blog post so you can add to this list of the best marketing blog posts.

Here goes:

Top 10 Unlikeable Companies of 2012 by Dave Kerpen. Dave and I are good friends and meet just about every week with Erik Qualman, Andrea Vahl, Chuck Martin and others on our Five Star Speakers initiative. This is one of my favorite posts this year, especially since GoDaddy is on the list.

26 Truths About Me and Convince and Convert by Jay Baer. This 5,000 word post was so good I printed it out and read it in bed while watching the New Year’s Eve celebrations. This is an amazingly transparent post with tons of great information about Jay and his team at Convince & Convert.

Socialnomics Video 2013 from Erik Qualman. Erik is another good friend and a key player on the Five Star Speakers team. He’s best known as the author of Socialnomics and Digital Leader, which are both excellent books. If you haven’t seen his updated version of the Socialnomics video, check it out — Erik has an amazing ability to take simple statistics and turn them into interesting insights.

How to Build a Platform and Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Stelzner. This is actually a video interview conducted with Michael Hyatt. Michael Stelzner is the founder of Social Media Examiner (always worth reading) and Michael Hyatt is one of my absolutely favorite bloggers and authors. Get to known them both by checking out this post.

Google Plus Emerging as a Back Door to Top Search Results by David Meerman Scott. I got to know David as he mentored me through the launch of Go Mobile and came away impressed with his desire to help others. Most of David’s posts are insights and perspectives on where digital communications is and where it’s headed, but this post is more of a “How To,” which is what makes it especially useful for members of the 60 Second Marketer community.

The 10-Step Content Marketing Checklist by Sonia Simone and Brian Clark. Damn, I wish I was half as smart and eloquent as Sonia and Brian. And I’m not just saying that. Copyblogger continues to impress with great content that’s extremely well-crafted and articulated. The post mentioned here is just one of many great examples on their site. Check it out.

SEO: 10 Secrets You Can Use to Get Google to Rank Your Website Higher by Lon Safko. There’s an interesting story behind this post. Lon, who is part of the Five Star Speakers team, sent us all an email with tips on SEO. I suggested that his email was so all-encompassing that it should be turned into a blog post. Now, a version of it is on Lon’s website (as well as ours!).

10 Ways to Grow Your Facebook Following by Andrea Vahl. When I have a question about Facebook, who do I turn to? Either Andrea Vahl or Phyllis Khare, both of whom know more about Facebook than anyone else I know. Check out Andrea’s post to kick start your Facebook initiative.

Walking Before Running into Augmented Reality by Chuck Martin. Chuck is one of the smartest guys I know. This post from him offers some excellent insights into the world of augmented reality. Put on your thinking cap and check out this post. When it comes to mobile, Chuck is the guy.

The Social Customer by Adam Metz. This isn’t a blog post as much as it’s a book by my friend Adam Metz. If you want to learn how your business can use social CRM to acquire, monetize and retain fans, friends and followers, check out this book. It’s packed with useful tips and techniques.

Re-Branding, Re-Designing and Re-Inventing: 3 Signs it’s Time by Phyllis Khare. I’ll make one prediction for 2013 that I know will come true — some company in Southern California is going to hire Phyllis Khare to run their marketing and social media and will grow by leaps and bounds as a result. Phyllis is one of the authors on Facebook All-in-One Marketing for Dummies and knows this stuff inside out. This is a great post by Phyllis with some good tips on re-inventing yourself.

I hope you find these posts helpful. I know I have. And let me know about any other posts you think are worth reading in the comments section below.

Actually, the thanks goes to you, Jay. Your “26 Truths” post was really excellent. It’s also good to see I’m not the only one who writes diligently over the holidays (just finished an e-book called “83 Best Social Media and Mobile Marketing Tools for Small- to Mid-Sized Businesses” due out soon).

Glad you found it helpful Grace. We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from this post. Cheers, Jamie

Connect with Jamie Now

New Here?

The 60 Second Marketer is an online magazine read by hundreds of thousands of people around the globe. Some of the posts are provided by our sponsors. 100% of our posts have been reviewed, edited and approved by the 60 Second Marketer. Come on in and enjoy the ride.

Looking for a Speaker?

Watch Jamie Turner on CNN

Connect with Our Readers

Find Stuff on the Website

Join Thousands in Our Community and Get Access to Our Resource Library Now!